Chief Judge Brian Jackson issued an “Omnibus Order Suspending All Deadlines” for cases pending or to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. The Order explains that the court has been inaccessible—a key term in the Federal Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure—since August 12, 2016 due to historic flooding in the region. Until further notice from the Middle District, all deadlines and delays in cases pending or to be filed in the Middle District are suspended. This suspension expressly applies to prescriptive and peremptive periods. In addition, all pending criminal cases in the Middle District are temporarily excluded from the time requirements of the Speedy Trial Act.
The Middle District’s Order follows similar Executive Orders from Governor Edwards, which suspended deadlines in Louisiana state courts due to flooding. More information about the Governor’s Orders is available here.
A copy of the Middle District’s Order (M.D. La. General Order 2016-10) is available here.